Library Newsnewsletter of the James A. Gibson Library

www.library.brocku.ca Winter 2010

In this issue:

Spotlight on the Map LibraryDr. David Fancy discusses Theatre in VideoNews from Special Collections and ArchivesWanted: Your FeedbackUndergraduate Research AwardScholars Portal E-Book Platform24 in the Library

Brock University from above (2006)image courtesy of Map Library

MESSAGE FROM THE

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN

The last issue of Library News profiled some of the unique collections in Special Collections &

Archives; thanks to the power of digitization, an increasing number of them are accessible online and available to the world at large.

The Map Library has also completed several significant digitization projects, including a collection of over 1000 historical air photos of Niagara. These projects have enhanced the accessibility of existing resources and, in many cases, expanded the research possibilities by integrating maps with a variety of data. For example, the Map Library’s Census Mapping projects provide rich census data for the municipalities of Niagara, allowing a researcher to view, at a glance, the average household income or the highest level of education within a particular geographic area.

In 2009, Alice Prochaska (then Director of the Yale University Library) visited Brock to give a presentation on the significance of digitization for research. In her discussion, she emphasized the global impact that local digitization initiatives can have by drawing attention to the Brock Map Library’s online resources. She herself had explored them at home in New Haven, Connecticut before visiting Brock.

Indeed, the Map Library’s online resources have engaged many researchers, from the local to those as far away as Australia.

At the provincial level, Scholars Portal is leading the development of a Geospatial Portal that will provide storage capacity for large geospatial and health informatics data, along with sophisticated tools for research, discovery and analysis. The Portal will also be enriched by online web mapping tools, enabling a wider range of geospatial and public health research. The Geospatial Portal is being developed by the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) with funding support from the provincial government and an expected completion date of late 2011.

I encourage you to explore the rich array of digital resources available on the Map Library’s website, and to read on to meet Colleen Beard, Map Librarian, and Sharon Janzen, Map Library Associate, in the Staff Spotlight feature.

www.library.brocku.ca

Margaret Grovemgrove@brocku.ca

www.library.brocku.ca

It happened in the Library:

Sweets for Studying

During December exams, library staff hosted a very popular cookie break for students.

Osmosis in the Library

In the fall, artwork created by Interactive Arts and Science students Ian Danahay, Andrea Winter and Mike

Brousseau was displayed in the Matheson Learning Commons (VISA 3F96, Instructor Donna Szoke). Andrea

explained that ‘Osmosis’ responds to the recent changes in the library: “From a quiet place where everyone whispered, to a communicative and open space that

invites students to exchange ideas.”

New Year’s Resolution Contest Winner

In January, the Library launched a series of videos aimed at improving student research skills. Pictured is Rachel

Mills (3rd year Popular Culture), winner of our Zone Winter term gift certificate, with Monica Rettig, Liaison

Librarian (left) and Susan Yurincich, Manager of the Zone Fitness Centre (right).

Visit http://bit.ly/thisyearisgoingtobedifferent

Colleen and Sharon have worked together in the Brock Map Library for over ten years. Colleen and Sharon guide students and faculty through the world of maps, geospatial data, and geographic information, teaching workshops, collaborating with faculty members, and providing assistance to researchers.

How has life in the Map Library changed over time?

Colleen: One of the greatest changes has been technology and the challenge of staying ahead of the curve. New technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), GPS and Google Earth have increased geographic awareness for everyone and expanded our role on campus. More and more faculty - across the disciplines - contact us each year for support in their courses. At the same time, it’s important to note that there is still a place for traditional print maps and we see our role as educating people on how to effectively use the tools that we offer.

Sharon: We see students who are now much more advanced in terms of technology, which has implications for how we teach geographic information. And, as Colleen mentions, we are not limited to the study of Geography. We work with faculty members and students in many subjects, from History to Community Health Sciences.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

Colleen: Learning new technologies and applying these to our teaching and research is the most challenging and interesting for me. For example, my personal research involves merging Google Earth with historical documents, air photos, maps, and photographs to trace the history of the Welland Canals. The outcome is quite remarkable and provides a visualization tool that can be used by everyone. I also very much enjoy the teaching role of my job.

Sharon: Digital resources are very exciting to work with. Google Earth, for example, allows you to travel the world from your home computer! I also appreciate the challenge of pursuing, collecting, and packaging new requests for data. Currently, I am working on collecting data for a faculty member who is defining wine sub-appellations of the Okanagan Valley.

www.library.brocku.ca

SPOTLIGHT ON

THE MAP LIBRARY

“there is still a place for traditional print maps...”

What is the most important thing to know about the Map Library?

Colleen: That we are very focused on our patrons. We offer workshops, online tutorials, and a great deal of support to our users (with both technology and geographic literacy). Our collections are enhanced by customer requests and we have invested a great deal of time and creativity making our collections as accessible as possible, such as web-based digitized collections.

Google Earth overlay of a 1934 air photo of the Third Welland Canal (ca. 1880) in Thorold (near the current GM plant) at Glendale Ave.

This shows locations of the locks and weirs and a change in landscape with much of the old locks still intact.

The Map Library is located in Mackenzie Chown C-306http://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/

Questions?

Please contact Colleen (cbeard@brocku.ca) or Sharon (sjanzen@brocku.ca) for more information about the Map Library.

Dr. David Fancy, Chair of Dramatic Arts, is enthusiastic about one of the Library’s most dynamic and visual resources - Theatre in Video. This resource gathers and presents more than 500 hours of streaming video, covering a wide range of 20th century theatre history. From important productions of Shakespeare to obscure documentary footage, Theatre in Video lets users revisit great performances again and again.

What is valuable about this resource?

Understanding the dynamics of performance is very much about becoming a sophisticated spectator, one who can differentiate between the various aspects of a given actor’s process as it unfolds on stage (or in this case, on screen). In that performance is an evanescent and ephemeral phenomenon, the ability to pause and rewind the

work makes Theatre in Video useful to capture and repeat relevant moments of the work.

How do you use Theatre in Video with students?

I use this in the Department’s fourth year critical theory seminar, as it can provide a rich ground for various aspects of theatrical production, from costume and lighting, to vocal tone and gesture. Having numerous productions available online makes it easy to draw up examples in the classroom to illustrate precisely what we happen to be discussing at that very moment. Before the existence of this resource, I often found myself wishing for a deck of 50 DVDs by my side to be able to make a point. Now, many of these examples are readily available for my teaching and for students completing assignments.

How does this resource help your research?

My own scholarly research deals with issues around the ontological status of the performance event, including the ways in which digital capture and mediation alter this status. Having multiple productions available online through Theatre in Video has helped feed some interesting lines of questioning that I am currently pursuing. With regard to my own playwrighting and directing, having these shows available has served as a source of inspiration on more than one occasion.

For more information on Theatre in Video, please contact your liaison librarian.

www.library.brocku.ca

Dr. David Fancy on Theatre in Video

Theatre in Video contains original performances of over 250 plays, including Laurence Olivier’s 1948 production of Hamlet. Instructors may bookmark scenes and embed links into course materials.

Special Collections and Archives Collaborate on New 1812 Website

Brock University’s Special Collections and Archives has teamed up with six Niagara area heritage institutions, the District School Board of Niagara and Our Ontario to digitize the unique and significant 1812 era artefacts and records in their collections and to make them available online.

The new site, www.1812history.com, will be examining the time period in an effort to better understand the daily social, economic and political lives of the inhabitants of Upper Canada as well as the details of the War itself. Items such as contemporary newspapers, business ledgers, letters, school notebooks, clothing and commercial products will be available for study among the articles of war. This will strengthen the research value of the website as it will provide visitors with a broader understanding about this time period.

This project was made possible with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy.

NEWS FROM

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES

On March 19 from 9:00 to 12:00 a.m. in the Sankey Chamber, the Library, along with Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the History Department and the Humanities Research Institute, will be hosting a symposium based on five medieval records housed in Brock University’s Special Collections and Archives.

About one year ago, three documents dating to the Middle Ages were ‘rediscovered’ in the Special Collections and Archives of the James A. Gibson Library sparking much media interest. Since these records came to light, two more medieval Scottish documents have been donated to the Special Collections including a letter signed by King James VI of Scotland - the future James I of England.

These records will be on display while several Brock and visiting scholars discuss the context, nature and research value of these rare pieces. Among those speaking are Brock professors Andrew McDonald, Angus Somerville, Andre Basson, Brian Power, John Sainsbury and Mathew Martin, visiting University of Toronto faculty member Michael Gervers, and Dr. David Caldwell - Keeper of Scotland and Europe, National Museums of Scotland and donor of the newest Scottish documents.

For more information on Brock’s Special Collections and Archives, please contact David Sharron, Head of Special Collections and Archives, James A. Gibson Library, Brock University, 905-688-5550 x3264

Explore our Medieval Documents at March 19th Symposium

www.library.brocku.ca

Undergraduate Research Award

In the Library, our primary role is to provide rich digital and print collections and expert research assistance and instruction to the Brock community. The annual Undergraduate Research Award is designed to recognise and reward student research skills.

Students are encouraged to submit a 500 word essay describing library resources, services, and research strategies used to complete a project or essay for an academic course. The $500 prize will be awarded to the student essay that best articulates what he or she learned during the research process.

Please encourage your students to submit an essay for this award. More information may be found on the library website. Please contact Karen Bordonaro, Instruction Coordinator for more information.

WANTED: Your Feedback!

This term, Brock library users will have two opportunities to provide valuable input and ideas. Beginning in February, Brock University will participate in a province-wide survey, Measuring the Impact of Networked Electronic Services (MINES), to assess the use of electronic information resources available through Scholars Portal. Over the period of one year, every 250th user will be asked to complete an anonymous, two-minute survey when accessing electronic journals.

From March 8th - 28th, Brock University will participate in LibQUAL+, a library service quality survey developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). More than 1,000 educational and research institutions in over 17 countries have participated in the survey, which covers topics such as staff helpfulness, library as place, and access to information. The eight-minute survey will be sent to all faculty members and staff, and a sample of undergraduate and graduate students.

If you have any questions about either survey, please contact Deb Kalvee, Associate University Librarian, Services & Facilities, at 905-688-5550, ext. 3198. Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and participation in this endeavour to improve the collections and services provided by your Library.

Library News is published twice a year by the James A. Gibson Library.

Editor: Justine CottonAssociate Editor: Monica Rettig

Scholars Portal Breaks New Ground with Electronic Books

The Brock Library is pleased to introduce faculty, staff and students to the exciting new Scholars Portal E-Books platform. This new interface integrates content from commercial publishers with e-books in the public domain, making it one

of the largest e-book platforms in existence. It provides access to a growing number of titles (currently over 40,000) from commercial publishers, including material from esteemed publishing houses such as Oxford, Cambridge, Springer, and Elsevier.

In addition, 200,000 open access titles from the Internet Archive Project (including a number of books from Brock’s Special Collections and Archives) may be browsed, searched, and read online. The Scholars Portal E-Books platform offers a number of innovations, including sophisticated navigation tools with links to related books and journal articles, the ability to print and download book sections, browse by subject, and download citations. Faculty who wish to use e-books in their courses may embed them in Sakai using the permalink feature.

For more information about how to use the new Scholars Portal E-Books Platform, please watch our video and contact your liaison librarian with any questions or comments.

24 in the Library

Watch as two students deal with the pressure of an impending assignment in the Library’s latest video project.

Designed to introduce students to the services and resources of the Library in a light-hearted way, the video spoof features two Dramatic Arts students.

Visit: www.library.brocku.ca/twenty_four.php